Housing
Murphy adds $10M to program that helps homeowners avoid foreclosure
Gov. Phil Murphy is allocating $10 million in federal COVID funds to a state program aimed at preventing foreclosures. The state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency will use the dollars from the federal American Rescue Plan to offer financial assistance to some homeowners facing foreclosure and renovate and sell properties left vacant. The effort is […]
New Jerseyans can now apply for $35K in state mortgage assistance
New Jersey began accepting applications for up to $35,000 in mortgage assistance for homeowners impacted by the pandemic Tuesday. The program, announced last month, is open to homeowners who can demonstrate they experienced pandemic-related financial hardship after Jan. 20, 2020, and whose income does not exceed 150% of their area’s median income. You must own and […]
Judiciary weighs shielding old eviction documents
The New Jersey Supreme Court is asking for written comment on a proposed rules change that would prevent the release of old eviction documents, a bid to avoid continually impacting once-troubled renters. The proposed rule would block the disclosure of documents in cases more than seven years old where a judgment for possession was issued. […]
Eviction moratorium to lapse with year’s end
New Jersey’s eviction moratorium is set to expire with the start of the new year, ending protections for roughly 350,000 middle and low-income households that have been in place since March 2020. Though a broader ban that barred removals for all New Jerseyans regardless of income level expired in August, a bill Murphy signed early […]
Bill advances that would punish discriminatory real estate appraisers
A New Jersey Senate committee advanced a bill Monday that would penalize real estate professionals who make discriminatory residential appraisals based race, creed, color, or national origin. The bill would also require appraisers to provide property sellers with information about how to report suspected discrimination to the state Division of Consumer Affairs. Offenders face fines […]
Tenants seeking N.J. rental relief have until Dec. 15 to apply
A program providing rental relief for struggling New Jersey tenants during the coronavirus pandemic will close applications on Dec. 15, the Department of Community Affairs announced. Since the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program launched in July 2020, more than $500 million has been distributed to residents: $92 million to 15,000 families during the first phase […]
In Jersey City, frustration flares up over a controversial affordable housing program
Luisa Reyes Mantilla was a young single mother in 1994 when she spotted an advertisement for low-income, first-time homebuyers in Jersey City. To qualify, you had to have good credit, a few thousand dollars in the bank, and a willingness to rent the other half of your duplex to someone similarly in need. She called […]
Betting on college sports, raffle proceeds for nonprofits on the November ballot
New Jersey voters will be faced with two statewide referendums on the ballot this year, both aiming to amend the constitution to change gambling rules. The first ballot question will ask voters whether to allow betting on all in-state college sports. While sports betting was legalized in 2018, this question would amend that law to […]
Flood insurance changes go into effect despite bipartisan opposition
The age of flood insurance subsidies may be coming to an end despite cries of protests from lawmakers who fear a monumental shift in how premiums are calculated could force residents out of their longtime homes. The new system, dubbed Risk Rating 2.0 by FEMA, went into effect Friday for individuals who purchase new policies. […]
Homelessness highest in Essex County, annual count finds
Nearly 8,100 people experienced homelessness on a single January night this year in New Jersey, with nearly a quarter of them living in Essex County, according to a new report on the federally mandated annual enumeration known as the Point in Time Count. The numbers seem to show homelessness has decreased from last year, when […]
Billions of dollars in federal rental aid remains stalled in slow-moving states, localities
WASHINGTON — Make it simpler to apply for rental assistance money. Allow landlords to apply on behalf of unresponsive tenants. And consolidate two overlapping federal programs aimed at getting financial help to struggling renters. Those were among the proposals that U.S. House members weighed during a hearing Friday on how to better help states and localities […]
N.J. takes first step in implementing historic housing discrimination law
New Jersey officials are reviewing proposed rules for a new law banning landlords from considering prospective tenants’ criminal histories, one intended to lessen racial discrimination in housing. It’s the first step in implementing what activists have called the strongest housing discrimination law in the country. It’s part of the “ban the box” movement,” a reference […]